Chapter 35: Spider

Vast numbers of spider monsters surged from the subway entrance and swept toward the three of them.

“Run!”

Li Cheng roared, sprinting west along the crossroad. Yuan Zhixia and Ye Jiaying, pale-faced, followed close behind him.

Ssshh—

Spider monsters poured over hills and fields in pursuit, their leg movements like a downpour of rain; some climbed up building exteriors, then leapt down from above.

Li Cheng slashed with his blade, shattering the spider monsters falling like rain. Seeing himself gradually surrounded, he acted instantly, grabbing the collars of both girls and leaping up, landing in the bed of a passing white pickup truck.

The crushed portion of the truck bed turned to ash, then gradually regenerated, supporting the weight of the three.

Li Cheng steadied himself and set down Ye Jiaying and Yuan Zhixia.

The vehicle sped forward, gradually leaving the spider monsters behind. Yuan Zhixia’s drone, set to auto-cruise and target-tracking, followed and returned to her hand.

“We’re safe—for now.”

The bone blade was again coated in green fluid; Li Cheng didn’t bother wiping it off, slashed through the rear seat window, and glanced at the driver’s phone navigation screen.

“This truck’s destination is Minghua Road—it overlaps slightly with the police station’s direction. We can ride one and a half kilometers, then switch.”

Before he could finish saying “truck,” the pickup’s front end violently caved in, halting its forward motion.

A colossal spider monster stood at the center of the intersection, raising a leg thicker than a cement pole and bristling with chaotic spines, crushing the white pickup beneath it.

The giant spider was grotesque and ugly, its size rivaling a heavy truck, its seven golden eyes glowing like lanterns; one upper-left ocellus had long been shattered, embedded with a golden arrow, surrounded by a gray-white scab.

Its body shimmered in shifting, multicolored hues, like a Rorschach inkblot. One glance caused eye pain and a burning sensation in the skull.

Thud!

The white pickup crushed in the Shadow Realm instantly skidded sideways, tearing apart into a cloud of dust that drifted ten meters ahead before reforming, chasing the shadow of the real-world pickup.

As for the three standing in the truck bed, inertia flung them outward.

Ye Jiaying screamed. Even the usually calm Yuan Zhixia froze midair, curling up with eyes shut, clutching her drone tightly.

Fortunately, this was a busy district—the pickup was moving slowly, and a green belt lay beside it. The three tumbled into shrubbery, rolled a distance, and snapped countless plants.

Fortunately, matter in the Shadow Realm was slightly softer than in reality; Ye Jiaying and Yuan Zhixia barely managed to get up, covered in wounds, while Li Cheng was dusty and disheveled, his hair wild, his gaze locked unblinkingly on the ink-and-color spider monster.

Thud. Thud.

The giant spider moved its eight legs, turning slowly yet swiftly, its seven golden eyes looking down at the three tiny figures in the shrubbery.

All three faces turned deathly pale; Yuan Zhixia’s fingers gripping the Glock were bloodless—compared to this spider, pistol bullets were no more effective than candy beans.

“Get ready to move.”

Li Cheng lowered his voice, his peripheral vision catching a sedan passing from the side of the intersection.

If they could find a chance to board it, perhaps there was still a chance to escape.

The ink-and-color giant spider suddenly extended two legs, piercing straight through the sedan’s undercarriage, then casually flicked upward.

The vehicle, weighing over a ton, flew like a toy, hurtling into the green belt and disintegrating into ash midair.

Thick dust obscured vision; Li Cheng felt every hair on his body stand on end, grabbed his companions’ collars, and retreated rapidly.

Thud-thud-thud!

The ink-and-color giant spider advanced with astonishing speed, smashing through the dust, its scythe-like chelicerae biting down on the exact spot where the three had stood, shearing off a large patch of shrubbery.

The distance between them was less than ten steps; the size disparity was glaring. Li Cheng could almost smell the stinking, hot breath gushing from its maw.

The ink-and-color spider lunged forward again, jaws snapping. No evasion, no retreat—he released his grip, shoved his companions backward, and roared, “Run!”

He himself swung his blade forward, slashing at the chelicerae.

Jing!

The shockwave traveled up the bone blade, numbing both arms; Li Cheng instantly felt his hands no longer belonged to him, and was flung backward violently.

The ink-and-color spider pursued, swinging its two front limbs like battering rams.

The chaotic spines along its limbs were like swords and knives, slicing the air with a sharp “shuuu—” sound.

Li Cheng twisted his toes, skimming low along the ground, dodging the attack while driving his right mantis-arm bone blade violently into the spider’s second pair of legs.

Squeak—

The spider’s exoskeleton was both strong and resilient; even under full-force cutting, it dented but did not rupture.

Li Cheng twisted his waist, spinning like a top beneath the monster, his left bone blade carrying his full weight and rotational momentum, pressing down along the spider’s second pair of limbs.

Jing!

The spines on the limb popped off, and half the limb itself was severed, spraying green fluid.

Sudden agony made the ink-and-color spider’s mouthparts tremble, emitting a piercing shriek.

Its ferocity surged; it stabilized itself on its rear two pairs of legs and swept its front two pairs sideways.

Li Cheng blocked with his blade, but the power disparity was overwhelming—he felt searing pain in his arms, as if his wrists and forearms were about to snap, and was flung backward.

He could not retreat—countless small spider monsters had already caught up; if surrounded, death was certain.

Li Cheng slammed his arm down, driving the bone blade into the ground, his shoe soles scraping two trails as he barely halted his momentum.

Shuu!

The spider’s left third pair of legs swept down from above, the piercing sound returning.

Li Cheng sidestepped, retracted his bone blade, and released his muscle restrictions, extruding countless ant-like bristles from his arms.

Using the bristles for protection, he grabbed the spider’s leg, rode its swinging motion, and leapt nimbly onto the giant spider’s back.

“Catch!”

From nearby came Yuan Zhixia’s voice—she had not fled far, but pulled a red-and-white packaged eight-treasure porridge can from her backpack and hurled it to Li Cheng on the spider’s back.

“Frag grenade! Ready to use!”

Yuan Zhixia shouted a warning, then grabbed Ye Jiaying and sprinted away.

Li Cheng caught the porridge can precisely, extended his mantis-arm bone blade again, and slashed with all his strength at the junction between the giant spider’s thorax and abdomen.

The spines on the spider’s back were less resilient than those on its legs; after several strikes, the defense cracked, the blade sank deep, and green blood gushed like a fountain.

Severely wounded, the ink-and-color spider convulsed—but this beast, having lived for who knew how long, its ferocity only intensified; it raised its head and retreated toward the roadside building, aiming to crush Li Cheng beneath it.

Li Cheng hastily pried off the white plastic lid of the porridge can, pulled the ring—and heard the crisp click of the firing pin.

He shoved the can into the gash on the spider’s back, leapt off its back, and rolled onto the ground.

Boom! Boom!

Two thunderous explosions: the first, the ink-and-color spider crashing into the building; the second, the frag grenade detonating.

(End of Chapter)